Teammate's death lingers for West Bridgewater squad

As high school football practice begins, members of the team try to focus on fundamentals while paying tribute to Jose Gurley

Matthew Leonido

As high school football practice begins across the state, West Bridgewater players had more on their minds than just learning the playbook.

The death of teammate Jose Gurley, who was killed while attending a party July 21 on Arthur Paquin Way in Brockton, still weighs heavily on players and coaches.

“Obviously, we are all still affected by it. We still hold pain in our hearts. We need to find a way to deal with that,” head coach Bill Panos said.

Before the Wildcats went out to their first practice on Robert M. Dwyer Jr. Field to begin preparations for their Division 5 Super Bowl title defense, all 48 players met with coaches to discuss their goals for the season. Although the violent death of their teammate lingers in their minds, the team is committed to focusing on the upcoming season.

“We are excited about starting the season, with hopes of doing really well. You can tell they want to do well for Jose, but also for themselves,” Panos said.

Kelly Jamieson, a member of the West Bridgewater Gridiron Club, attended the practice to speak with seniors about how the team would pay tribute to Gurley on their uniforms. In the days leading up to the first practice, Jamieson was worried about how the kids would deal with starting the season without Gurley.

“I was a little nervous. I've been so worried about how they are going to come together as a team. For such a small town, this was such a devastating blow that affects all the kids,” Jamieson said.

Panos said the school was discussing different ways to remember Gurley, including planting a tree on campus or creating a scholarship in his name.

Aside from placing a sticker on their maroon helmets to remember Gurley, Panos said each player will do what they feel is right.

“We will honor him in our own way. We are not going to dedicate a game or the season to Jose. We should dedicate our efforts individually and try to better ourselves every day,” Panos said.

Junior safety Ryan Webby, who plans on designing armbands and wristbands to honor his friend, echoed what his coach said.

“We don't want to dedicate too much to him. If we lost a game, we would not want to say we lost for him. We will make our goals for Jose, but we won't use him as motivation,” Webby said.

Jamieson, whose son D.J. played varsity basketball with Gurley last year as an eighth-grader, believes it will be difficult for the team, and especially for the seniors, to separate their feelings of loss with their goals for the season.

“With Jose being a senior, when the others hit milestones his presence will be felt and remembered. Everybody's heart is in the right place, but the kids need to move on too. It will be hard to balance,” Jamieson said.

Panos was confident the team will continue with business as usual on the field as they find ways to cope with their loss and remember their teammate.

“As the season develops, we will find a way to commemorate his name,” Panos said.